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Wireless Technology for K9 Units - Working Together with Men's Best Friend.

Some of the hardest working members of law enforcement, first responders and security units don't get paid in money. K9 units have grown significantly due to the increase in drug-related crimes, terror attacks, immigration issues and global travel which makes the world a global village where illnesses, viruses and diseases are no longer local.

The duties and responsibilities for K9 units vary depending on the situation. K9s are trained to be obedient and are expected to follow both verbal and hand commands from their handlers. In most cases, K9s are trained to locate evidence and people using their superior sense of smell. Compared to humans, K9s have 225 million scent receptors while humans have only five million. Utilizing this ability saves valuable time and resources, and with greater certainty for all the above mentioned forces.

K9 tasks include: Game violators in wild life sanctuaries detection by finding physical evidence, locate firearms and shell casings in hunter related shootings and other offenses consisting of firearms; traditionally tracking human scent and finding missing people including suspicious activities of people after they have left the area. Further tasks include: Drug and food detection in airports, security patrols, detecting life in disaster stricken areas and much more.

In all the tasks mentioned here, K9 are always accompanied by their handlers, often with a leash, operating as ultra-high scent and sensitive extension to human's abilities. The K9 and handler work together as a team on-site and at the scene. Today, with wireless technology this human-K9 team and extension can be further enhanced and elongated to deliver better results and efficiency.

By equipping K9s with miniature communication units, K9s can proceed ahead beyond the handler's site and into the scene, building, area and by audio and voice units embedded into the communication devices, can scan the area first based on handler's commands while transmitting back to the handler HD video from the communication unit. This enables K9 units to obtain better information from the scene prior to arrival and asses' onsite situation prior to on-ground activities.

There is several wireless communication solutions out that can leverage todays' K9s tasks into a planned operation. From a simple GoPro camera that delivers video limited to a relatively small radius to high-tech technologies used in leading forces. Simple mounted cameras can provide video and receive voice command from handler however their coverage is very limited both in terms of circumference as well as LOS (Line-of-site) only.

They cannot venture into N-LOS (Non-Line-Of-Site) areas, buildings, distances, disaster-stricken areas and will be limited to video and voice transmission only. These solutions will not include transmission of any data from the area. These cameras and solutions will often depend on Wi-Fi availability, which in most cases is nonexistent.

MESH Wireless Communication

Higher-end technology and solutions that are used today in K9 units worldwide rely on technology that does not depend on existing communications infrastructures such as cellular or Wi-Fi but create their own independent wireless private network. Such technology includes COFDM, Wi-Fi MESH and Mobile MESH based on 4G technology. The first two MESH options (COFDM and Wi-Fi MESH) are not 4G based and therefore have some limitations in transmission options, will not provide full IP/Ethernet network (COFDM). Mobile MESH based on 4G technology will of course provide the highest quality and availability including broadcasting, multicasting and unicasting modes.

Leading technology will enable for human- K9 team operation to work in multiple constellations:

K9 to handler HD video and VoIP including broadcasting capabilities allowing for numerous viewers to observe a scene or situation and a single handler operating a single K9.

From point-to-point with broadcasting abilities

From multi-point-to-multipoint with broadcasting capabilities

Overcoming N-LOS challenges

K9: Man's Best Friend

Collaborating today's K9 units with the right technology can elevate the unit's performance, lower the risks involved and deliver greater precision and certainty to any task involved. K9s are an integral part of the unit and support every task with ultra-high senses and abilities far beyond any human ability.

Yossi Segal is the Co-Founder& VP of Research and Development for Mobilicom

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